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Saving Your Work
The Save button in the Code Studio toolbar, Ctrl + S, and what happens to your edits if you leave.
The Save button
The Code Studio has a Save button on its toolbar, just left of Build & Export. On a computer it never disappears — it only changes what it says:
- Save 3 files — solid and coloured while something you edited has not been saved. The number counts every open file with a change.
- Saving… — with a spinner, while the project is on its way to the cloud.
- ✓ Saved — quiet, when nothing is waiting. Pressing it then only tells you Everything is saved.
On a phone the button is shorter and simply reads Save or Saving…, and it only shows while something is waiting. When everything is saved it steps aside, and the line under the project name says so instead.
Save sits left of Build & Export. When nothing is waiting it turns into a quiet ✓ Saved in the same place.
One press saves every file
Save does not only save the file on screen. It saves every file you have changed, in every open tab, and sends the whole project to the cloud. The small dot on each changed tab goes away and a message confirms it — File saved, or Saved 3 files.
Ctrl + S (Cmd + S on a Mac) does exactly the same, and so does Save all in the ⋯ menu. The shortcuts panel still calls Ctrl + S Save current file, but it saves them all.
It also saves on its own
You do not have to press Save to keep your work. While you are signed in, the Code Studio sends the project to the cloud by itself about two seconds after you stop typing. The line under the project name shows where things stand — 2 unsaved files, saving…, or saved just now and later saved 5 min ago.
The tab dots and the count on the button belong to the Save button, not to the cloud: a file can still show its dot after its change has already been sent. Pressing Save sends it straight away and clears the dots.
Leaving within two seconds can lose the last change
There is no "you have unsaved changes" question when you close the tab or leave the Code Studio. Your edits are almost always in the cloud already — but the automatic save waits about two seconds after your last keystroke, and leaving inside that window cancels it.
So if you have just typed something, press Save (or Ctrl + S) and wait for ✓ Saved before you close the tab.
When a save does not go through
The File saved message appears the moment you press, before the upload has finished. If the upload then fails, a second message follows it:
- No connection to the server — "Your work is still on this device — saving will retry automatically." It tries again by itself after about 20 seconds.
- Failed to save project to cloud — with the reason underneath. Press Save again once the problem has passed.
- This project was changed on another device — nothing was saved, so nothing is lost. Choose Keep mine to save what is on this screen, or Load newest to open the other version instead.
Signed out, nothing goes to the cloud at all: the line under the project name reads this device only, and pressing Save shows Sign in to save to cloud.
Save is not a save point
Save keeps the latest version of your files. It adds nothing to your version history. To keep a copy you can go back to later, open ⋯ → History, press the save icon at the top of the Snapshots tab, give it a short description in Create Save Point and press Save Version. Version History explains the rest, including the automatic snapshots you can switch on.
Where to next
- Next in Getting Started: Finding Your Way Around
- Before a risky change: Version History — Save keeps your latest files; a save point keeps an older copy you can go back to.
- Working faster: Keyboard Shortcuts — Ctrl + S and every other key the Code Studio listens for.
- If a project disappeared: Trash & Recovery — When it is a whole project you need back.
9 of 19 in Getting Started · Last checked 16 September 2026 · Previous: Quick Start